Quote:
Originally Posted by MikkOwl
Being better at a certain type of fatigue does not make it better at everything else. I am sure that metals are both much more durable all-round and have much better strength for any given size and mass. The Mosquito, for example, is very heavy.
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Exactly. A similar part with similar terminal strength, made of wood is noticeably heavier, then metal one.
Besides, wooden structures decay much faster, then metal (it doesn't apply to wood only, but also to the glue, used to bond wooden parts). Not a big deal during the war, where planes don't live too long anyway. But important for the peace-time maintenance. For instance, the factory declared life span of a wooden Yak airframe was max 2 years. After which it should have been scrapped. Same for Mosquito, I guess.